All is Full of Love
by Naoko Asakura
Summary: A story inspired by a beautiful song, but not a songfic... J/L pairing. LDD.
1. Oliver

* * *

"_You'll be given love_

_You'll be taken care of_

_You'll be given love_

_You have to trust it_

_Maybe not from the sources_

_You have poured yours_

_Maybe not from the directions_

_You are staring at…"_

* * *

**All is Full of Love**

By Naoko Asakura.

* * *

The school day had been long as it had been boring. The material was almost exactly the same as the day before, the lunch she had was nothing too exciting, and Leslie Burke had not gotten to talk to her best friend all day. For some reason, she missed every opportunity. Even on the bus that morning when they sat together, he wasn't talkative. He looked sad, but it was the kind of sad that you weren't obliged to question. Leslie knew that.

That was how close she and Jesse Aarons were.

Still though, she couldn't help but wonder. Nowadays, they only had two classes together out of the entire day. It was a little annoying that this is what middle school meant, but by eighth grade, the pair had gotten used to being apart. Leslie had even made a few friends… Not very many, but a few. The same happened for Jess, and even though life was getting more and more busy, they always seemed able to make time for one another.

A boring algebra class was all she needed to round out her gloriously mediocre day. Leslie was at least thankful that the clock was perched right over the blackboard. There was absolutely no interest in the gibberish the teacher was going on about. As far as she was concerned, it could have been some stupid code used by the Dark Master… Even more reason to ignore the lesson, as no matter what he tried to destroy the kingdom of Terabithia, it always failed.

Naturally, it was because she and Jess were such good rulers. With the help of Prince Terrien, nothing stood in their way.

_Except for this damned lesson. If only time would move faster!! _Leslie chewed her lip, tapping her pencil on the surface of her desk as she stared at the clock. Even as the second hand passed another minute, time seemed to dilate. After counting thirteen rotations, the jarring sound of the bell cut through the drone of her teacher's lesson. As if waking from a coma, Leslie grabbed her book bag and hurriedly walked through the door to freedom.

The temperate weather of early summer was an instant comfort as she exited the school, and she couldn't help the grin that suddenly broke out on her flushed face. She took the stairs on the bus two at a time, and when she fell into the seat beside Jess, a deep sigh of content was released. This was certainly the highlight of her day.

…But it was clouded over when she saw her companion's morose expression. "Hey there, sport!" She tried her best to sound like an old man. Her attempt at humor was ignored, but Jess wouldn't ignore her greeting.

"Hey."

Leslie eyed him as she slid her bag onto her lap. "What's up? Feeling any better?" His answer was a small sigh. She looked down, fiddling with one of the straps on her bag. "Guess not… Wanna talk about it?" Jess glanced at her before looking out the window. The bus started with a painful groan, and as it lurched forward the two were pressed into the back of the seat.

"Can we wait 'til we get to the place?" His voice was soft. He'd obviously been much worse off than she had been that day. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and nodded.

Leslie wished that she could do more to make her friend feel better, but for fear of being made fun of, she could only leave her hand on his shoulder.

For Jesse, that was more than enough.

* * *

After a long and bumpy bus ride, Leslie and Jesse arrived at their stop. Without words, they deposited their backpacks at the side of the driveway and walked down the path to the creek. May Belle had apparently been sick with a cold that day, so Jesse avoided the daily badgering from his younger sister.

"So what's up, Jess? I haven't seen you smile once today!" Leslie pressed just as he landed in the cluster of ferns beside her. There was a pause—a snag in his thoughts before Jesse began:

"I don't know… I had this dream last night."

Leslie's curiosity piqued, she couldn't help asking, "Oh? What about?" as they scrambled over a freshly fallen tree.

"It's not really important. It's kind of stupid, anyway." Exasperation clouded over Leslie's features.

"Jess Aarons. You're kidding, right? How could it not be important if it's put you in such a bad mood like, _all day_?"

They continued down the old path, and by the time they reached the clearing of the rusted out pickup truck, Jesse still hadn't given her an answer. Finally fed up with his lack of speaking skills, Leslie grabbed him by the arm and pulled him over to the old relic. "H-Hey!" Protested Jesse as she pushed him onto the hood of the truck. She pushed herself up to sit beside him and made sure he knew he had her undivided attention.

"Jess, we're friends… We're _best _friends. Tell me what happened!" He was still at war inside himself. "…Did Terabithia get destroyed?" Her voice was hushed, gravely serious. At that, Jesse just shook his head.

"No-- I had a dream that… that you died." There was silence again.

"Jess, I'm obviously alive though. I'm right here—"

"You don't understand!" He began abruptly, cutting her off, "I can remember every detail. It was so vivid that I can remember every detail of it!!" He looked her over briefly, his eyes returning to his lap. His hands clenched into fists on top of his knees. "…It was all my fault…"

"How could it have been _your_ fault?"

"I didn't invite you to the art museum… I wanted to be alone with Miss Edmunds, and you drowned in the creek. The rope- the enchanted rope broke and you died and it was all my fault." His expression grew increasingly pained, his knuckles white. "Even if it was a dream, it made me think a lot. Maybe too much."

Leslie watched him sadly. The wind picked up and a shiver ran though the both of them. A sigh shuddered past Jesse's lips, and when his best friend put an arm around his torso, he couldn't help his face from crumbling into anguish.

"Come on, Jess," She murmured gently in his ear, "Let's sit on the ground." He nodded, and the two of them slid from the hood of the pickup truck onto the matted grass below. There, Leslie took Jesse in both arms and cradled him gingerly. For lack of anything else to say, he clutched her around the waist. Leslie's face went hot when he rested his cheek on her shoulder, his breath whispering gently against her neck. "Even if I did die someday," She had to pause… The closeness was dizzying, "There's no way I would ever leave you. I'd always take care of you. Be with you." It was a breath in his ear, and it made his hold on her tighten, almost painful.

"It didn't just end with you dieing. Days after that—years after that. A lifetime without Leslie… You're the best friend I've ever had. If anything ever happened to you, I…" His voice died in his throat as his heart clenched.

"There's no way anything's gonna happen to me, dope!" She pulled away from him, trying desperately to bring humor back into the situation. He stared at her morosely, and she couldn't help herself from grabbing both his cheeks and pulling on them. "I couldn't torture you like _this _all the time, if I were to suddenly go off and die like an idiot!" She grinned, cheeks still pink. Her heart felt like it was ricocheting against her ribcage, but she sighed inwardly as a smile ghosted over Jess' face. She quickly got to her feet, pulling her up with him. "Now come on, I'll race you to the fortress. Whoever loses has to do something for the winner!"

"You're on!" It seemed like this challenge was getting Jesse back to normal, when the faint smile grew into a determined smirk. Leslie beamed, crouching low…

"Okay—READYSETGO!" She tore off down the path to the old tree house, Jess hot on her heels shouting after her about sports ethics the entire way.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon unwound as per usual. Divulging events of the school day, racing around the woods, eating rations stored in the tree house, idling away hours until sunset.

"Are you going back for dinner?" Leslie asked, plucking grass out of the ground. They'd been sitting on a hill in the field beyond the woods for the past half hour, watching the sky's hues change from blue to shades of orange, purple and pink. It had been an exceptional sunset. Beside her, Jess shook his head.

"Nah… Don't really feel like eating anything. I'll stay here for awhile longer." He murmured thoughtfully, his eyes on the half circle of the sun on the horizon.

"Wow, that's a first!" Leslie teased, earning a light punch on the shoulder from her friend. She laughed a bit, rubbing the spot almost lovingly. "Me too. I don't want to go back without you, Jess." And with that, she flopped onto her back again, her eyes closed. Jesse stared down at her reclining form; freckled face dusted a rosy color. It seemed that she was making more of an effort to be with him today than their casual routine… Not that he minded at all. If he had it his way, things would be that way more often.

Her audible sigh cut through his thoughts, and he noticed her eyes fluttered back open. They smiled warmly at each other, and that's when suddenly Leslie murmured something:

"Hey."

"Hi…" It was all he could say back. For some reason, he was at a loss. Somehow, she'd managed to turn him around and make him euphoric with joy. He was almost exhausted from all the racing around they did—there was no effort made to stop looking at her. Instead, he slipped into a daze, resting his chin in his palm. She wiggled her eyebrows at him, snorting at his goofy expression.

"What are you staring at, anyway?" She was blushing. He could tell, even in the increasing darkness… It made him feel even warmer. She sat up, scooting closer to him. "I'm tired, Jess. Let me just rest out here for a bit, kay?" He nodded, dropping on his side into the grass again. She followed, curling up beside him. Where their backs touched, heat radiated. Content within their kingdom, Leslie and Jess quickly drifted off into peaceful slumber.

* * *

_To be continued._

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I don't even pay for my apartment, thank god. I wouldn't be alive without the help of my parents. XD

Author's note: I'm sure that there are plenty of Björk fans on this website… Not sure how many will be reading this story, but I'm writing this story based on how I feel about this beautiful song, and how I could apply it to the relationship between Jess and Leslie. If you have never heard the song before, I'd recommend searching for it on youtube.

Now just to warn you guys, the video has robot lesbianism.

Anyways, I hoped you guys enjoyed this part! Hopefully, I don't get flaky enough to forget about the next one...


	2. Human Behavior Part One

"If you ever get close to a human

"_If you ever get close to a human_

_And human behavior_

_Be ready, be ready to get confused_

_There's definitely, definitely, definitely no logic_

_To human behavior_

_But yet so, yet so irresistible…"_

* * *

All is Full of Love

By Naoko Asakura

Chapter Two: Human Behavior, Part One

* * *

The cold of the morning chilled—the sun was just peaking over the horizon, and the dew on the grass was absorbed both Jess and Leslie's clothing. This is what brought the former out of his dreamless (thank God) slumber. The chattering of his teeth, in turn, woke Leslie. They sat up, each rubbing their eyes drowsily.

"We stayed out here all night…" Leslie stated the obvious through a cavernous yawn that she didn't bother to cover up. Beside her, the realization was quickly seeping in. Of course, realization was even faster replaced with cold dread.

"Oh god, Leslie, we're going to be in so much trouble…" Jess groaned beside her, grinding his palms into his forehead. He was definitely going to get a severe punishment. He didn't even want to know what was going to happen to Leslie.

"Jess, it'll be fine! Nothing's gonna happen." She attempted to convince him things would be okay with their parents. At this, he just shook his head fervently… He knew how early his Dad woke up, and there'd be no telling what kind of hell he would have to take. "Jess…"

"C'mon, Les, we gotta get out of here." He stood quickly, dusting the grass off himself. She followed suit, and then they set off towards the houses.

"I'm telling you, Jess, _nothing _is going to happen." Leslie was breathless, keeping up with his fast walking pace. "Today's Saturday, anyway! We didn't even have to go to school!" They passed the truck and continued down the forest path. She could see the muscle in his jaw tense- he was struggling with himself again. Finally, he spoke.

"That's besides the point, Leslie." Was he blushing again? "They're- _My_ parents, anyway- they're going to think that we were doing something." His companion stared at him blankly, until a deep grimace settled on her face, finally understanding. "We're not in elementary school… God, Leslie, we're teenagers! My parents are seriously gonna kill me."

"We didn't do anything, though…" She offered lamely. There was a halt in the conversation where the only sound heard was the rustling of leaves as they made their way to the edge of Terabithia. When they crossed the creek, they sat for a moment on an old log.

"I have an idea!" After a while, Leslie exclaimed. Jesse eyed her skeptically, an invitation to continue. "You could take this path to your house, and I could just go through the woods into my backyard. That way, nobody'll see us coming out of here together."

She and Jess shared a broad smile… It was such a simple solution!

"Will you be okay going by yourself?" He asked. Leslie bit her lip to suppress the giddy feeling that exploded in her chest. Why a simple question affected her so much was lost on her. Sure, she adored Jesse Aarons with every fiber of her being, but it was something her father might ask her on her first day going to school. She nodded, feeling a little stupid for turning pink.

"The queen can handle herself, you know!" She mimicked a haughty rich girl, and Jess chuckled.

"Yeah…" He murmured, settling on the crooked smile only he seemed to know how to make. Leslie had tried countless times to copy it, spending a lot of time in front of the bathroom mirror one morning… It was only when her father knocked on the doorframe that she was snapped out of her reverie. It was just another one of those embarrassing adolescent moments.

They gazed at each other for a moment longer. "Thanks again for helping me out…" Jesse offered. Leslie shrugged, looking at her shoes as they kicked the dirt.

"That's what friends are for, doofus!" She tried to smile, but for some reason, there was too much tension forced into the exchange. Instead of saying anything else, they shared an extremely awkward hug, limbs bumping halfway as they reached for each other. Leslie sighed contently into his shirt… That dizzy feeling returning to cloud her senses.

Jesse's cheeks burned, almost pleased by the agony of their proximity. There was this moment where maybe something should have happened, but instead they stood back from each other. He couldn't quite look at Leslie, for fear that his heart my burn itself out, so instead his gaze settled on a tree just behind her.

"See ya." He forced out. Leslie smiled and nodded, turning away from him. Finally, he watched her back as she retreated into the foliage. He realized he was just standing there when she paused to look over her shoulder at him.

"Wanna hang out later?" Her voice was almost timid—not something he expected out of Leslie Burke… But in the moment, he felt almost overexposed, so all he could do is nod dumbly before turning down the path towards his house.

For some reason, his father was nowhere around. He was able to slip into the house without detection, to his relief. He stopped on the way to his bedroom to look at himself in the mirror.

His ears were _**so**_ red…

* * *

_To be continued…_

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Oh sadness!

Author's Note: I'm just cutting this one a bit short, because that last line sounded so nice to end on… There will be more, of course, and if you thought that Jesse and Leslie were going to get off easy for staying in Terabithia over night—well, you'd better thing again!

Thanks for reading!


	3. Human Behavior: Part Two

"_They're terribly, terribly, terribly moody_

_Oh, human behavior_

_Then all of a suddenly turn happy..._

_But, oh, to get involved in the exchange_

_Of human emotions_

_Is ever so, ever so satisfying"_

* * *

All is Full of Love

By Naoko Asakura

Chapter Two: Human Behavior Part Two.

* * *

Later that morning Jesse entered into a generally serene breakfast with his other family members… At least it seemed that way, at first. About two minutes after he had torn eagerly into his meal, he realized that it was not serenity that had graced the table, but something else. The first thing he noticed was that his two older sisters, Brenda and Ellie were leering at him from their spots on the opposite side of the table. Once or twice, they'd share a whispered joke and a giggle… This was the initial cause for the young boy's anxiety, but when he looked to his father—

Jesse's heart dropped into his stomach. He secretly wished his head would do the same, for being a turtle would be _so _must better than meeting his father's eyes. The look his father gave him wasn't quite angry. In fact, it was almost unreadable. It was the same expression he had on his face right before he sat his son down to talk about puberty.

Again, dread crept up on Jesse like a leech stuck to the bottom of his foot. There are no clean getaways, he silently concluded. He didn't want to see how his other family members were looking at him, but when May Belle (obviously feeling better) piped up, he nearly choked on his food.

"Jess, are you and Leslie boyfriend and girlfriend now?"

He coughed for a long while, his cheeks burning miserably. He couldn't answer his sister, who at the ripe old age of ten seemed more worldly than he ever had at the age. Instead, the boy was saved (or damned) by the scrape of his father's chair being pushed back.

"Jess, greenhouse." Was all he said. Without a word, but still clearing his throat, Jesse nodded and followed. Once there, they stood at opposite sides of the small, humid room. Silence was painful, and all hopes that he had gotten away with the accidental sleepover were squashed in the deep breath his father took.

"Dad, I—"

"What were you doing with Leslie Burke all night?" His father's strong voice completely eclipsed his feeble attempt at any sort of icebreaker. Before Jesse had a moment to think of a reply, "I thought we talked about this sort of thing. You _know_ you can't do this sort of thing! You shouldn't have even been doing it back when you guys were kids!!" His father was more grave than angry, but suddenly Jess felt more threatened than he ever had before.

"Dad, are you kidding me?!" He'd probably catch hell for talking back later, "It's Leslie, for Pete's sake! My best friend?"

"Jess, that doesn't matter! She's still a teenage girl! You're still a teenage boy, something you seem to have forgotten!"

"_Nothing_ _happened!!_" Then there was a break where they stared at each other. Jesse blushed furiously and cast a forlorn look out the window towards the Burke's house. "It's not like I would do anything anyway…"

He suddenly felt his father's hand on his shoulder, and looked up. The gap in height was closing with each passing week, so it didn't take much to make eye contact. He was surprised to see that it was sympathy his father offered him.

"Even if nothing happened this time, you really gotta be careful…" He watched his son pale and was remembered of a time he and his own father had talked like this. "Eventually, and I know it, you aren't going to be satisfied with just a childhood friendship." _That was obvious_. Jesse almost rolled his eyes. "…And she won't, either. If you make a mistake like that again, it's gonna be a lot harder for me and your Mom to let you guys hang out with her… For all we know, her parents could've already locked her up and thrown away the key." With that suggestion, Jesse stiffened.

"Her parents aren't like that…" It was more of a secret wish than a declaration. He'd been to the Burke household several times, and both Judy and Bill seemed more laid-back than his parents… Much more. He couldn't imagine Leslie receiving a more severe punishment than the lecture he was getting. "Dad, we were just sitting on a hill out back—falling asleep wasn't something either of us had in mind. It was just an accident."

Then the older of the Aaron's men stood back, looking his son over as if he were appraising his son's character—searching for something. He sighed, nodding finality. "I trust you, son."

On their way back to the house, Jesse couldn't help the wave of relief that swept over him. The goofy smile on his face said it all—and it was obvious that through the years of middle school, they had come to a better understanding of each other. As he had been maturing, it was almost as if he skipped the stage in which child and parents were enemies. With the help of Leslie coaching him on how to approach an argument with his father or mother (her open relationship with both her parents had given her enough experience), this moment seemed a good example that all of his patience and hard work was paying off.

"…You really think she likes me like that?"

Hearing their father's laughter as they sat in the kitchen, Elle and Brenda sighed in disappointment. It was getting harder and harder to put their brother in situations he couldn't seem to talk himself out of… Even if it wasn't them who had put him there. Moving between them to collect the dishes, Jesse's mother smiled knowingly.

* * *

_To Be Continued..._

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. D: Sadness!

Author's Note: I didn't really know how I would play this confrontation, but I wanted to resolve it in at least 1-2 chapters. We still haven't covered Leslie's side of things-- though I'm not sure if I should throw her to the wolves or not... By the way "There are no clean getaways" is the tagline to the movie "No Country For Old Men", which is a completely different kind of story, by far. Even so, it's one of my obsessions of the past year. Go Anton! Yay!

Hope you enjoyed reading!

* * *


	4. Hidden Place

"_We go to the hidden place_

_That we go to the hidden place_

_We go to the hidden place_

_We go to a hidden place…"_

* * *

All is Full of Love

By Naoko Asakura

Chapter Three: Hidden Place

After the talk in the greenhouse with his father, Jesse made absolutely sure that unintentional sleepovers with Leslie never happened again… Still, there were times when he would wonder whether he would mind it or not. It was three days after his sixteenth birthday, and the images came unbidden to him in rapid succession. Waking up in the dewy grass on a summer morning curled up with his best friend was becoming a habit—not really a bad one, thankfully. His chest ached longingly. It was only when she called his name the second time that he finally broke from his daydream in a fluster.

"Y-Yeah, Les?" He tried his hardest to sound casual in the face of his embarrassment. The petite blonde sitting beside him nudged him with her arm—not with the elbow, he noticed, but instead she leaned into his side completely. He leaned for a moment, blinking dumbly.

"Jeez, you're really out of it today. Wait- scratch that. You've always been this spacey!" Jesse's expression went sour as Leslie laughed jokingly, "…Anyway, seriously; what's up? There's obviously something on your mind. Don't you think a little advice from your best friend ever might help?"

"Since when were you my best friend ever?" Jess had meant it sarcastically, but it only took moments to watch Leslie's impish smile crumble to realize that this had not translated well. He opened his mouth to try and save himself with some sort of tacked-on endearment, but Leslie beat him to the punch.

"Oh, okay. Sorry to butt in, I guess." She grabbed the pile of papers and the large book she had been using as a backboard in one fell swoop and began to walk home. She left her pen in the grass beside Jesse, and he grabbed it in a fist before trotting after her. He fell in step beside her, eyeing her wordlessly while his mind was scrambling for a way to repair the situation. He didn't realize that after a while, he had been openly staring at her, meanwhile not paying attention to the forest that was getting closer.

So of course, he didn't have time to move out of the way of the tree as he collided with it full force.

"Jesse!" a shower of papers and the sound of the book hitting the ground ensued as Leslie fell on her knees to his side. The care was genuine, as she helped him sit up and as he felt the angry scratches left in his cheek. He almost flinched as she touched them herself, but instead let go a painful sigh.

"Your pen…" He offered it to her, and it lay innocent on his flat palm. To Leslie, the petty gesture meant much more than Jesse understood, himself. Confusion at her arms around his neck came suddenly, her cheek pressed to his.

"Thanks, Jess…" Her voice seemed stuck to his ear even after she pulled away to look at his wounds again. The pen had dropped to the ground again, forgotten when she cooed almost maternally into his ear. Only _almost _though… Not really at all, when he thought about it hard enough. His cheek throbbed dully as her thin fingertips trailed over them delicately. "This doesn't look too bad" Her thoughtful murmur seemed far away, Jesse's eyes fluttered for a moment when he sighed deeply.

"Leslie…." Was all he could manage. A small, sheepish sound followed—and her hand left his face.

"Sorry."

They stared each other down timidly, tall grass around them swaying gently in the oncoming breeze. Leslie shuddered, passing a hand through her short blonde hair before standing up.

"We _are_ best friends, aren't we?" Leslie murmured rhetorically, offering her hand. Jesse replied with a silent nod, eyes never leaving her pixie face as he took it. The wind picked up again, and she laced her fingers with his. "…Good. It would kill me if we weren't."

"Sorry I've been so distant lately," Jesse offered after a long pause, "There's just a lot on my mind that I really gotta just straighten out." They walked slowly down the path, both remembering that morning after they had slept together so long ago. His grip tightened on her hand, and without thinking he raised its knuckles to caress his cheek. Leslie slowed—frozen as she watched the tender gesture.

"I..." She stopped short, and it was a rare moment when the words she wanted to say were lost.

"Can we spend another night out here some day?"

It was something she had been thinking about ever since the first time. Whenever she spent time with him, the memory crept up on her, warm and happy. Filled with nostalgia, she nodded. "Of course!"

* * *

A/N: Sorry this one is so short. I figured that there was enough awkward Jesse/Leslie tension to put me through to the next chapter… We'll see how Jesse goes about evading his Dad's watchful eye.


End file.
